Why Literacy Matters

[Liar]

Woman's Tap Dance Classes Confused With Lap Dances

FAIR OAKS, Calif. (CBS13) ― A woman is experiencing a case of mistaking identity; not of her personal identity, but of what her business offers.

When Helen Hart tried to jumpstart business at her house by putting up a sign for adult tap dancing classes, the 79-year-old grandma started fielding calls for adult lap dancing services.

"I get maybe three to 17 [calls] a week," Helen said. "I'm nearly 80, so age does mean something. Can you imagine a man coming to the door and I open the door and I go, 'Yeah?' He goes, 'Oh, never mind.'"

The average age for Helen's tap-dancing students is about 60 years old, a Bible is prominently displayed 10 feet from the entrances and inspirational messages can be seen throughout her house -- anyone who had the wrong idea would be quickly corrected when they reached the front door.

Some of her students don't think it would be such a bad thing if people thought they were coming by as part of a lap dance service. "At my age, it's a little flattering," laughed Jane Viar.

Helen says when men call, she just tells them to bring their daughters over so she can teach them to tap dance. That usually ends the conversation.

 

[driphoney]

That's funny.

I thought this tread was going in a different direction. I'm a returning student and yesterday in a history class we had to pretend to be high-schoolers again (I HATE THAT!!) and partner-up. Our job was to look at small bits of source documents and answer questions about them.

I had to 'translate' almost every sentence of every piece for my partner, a very sweet, earnest 18 year old girl. I'm shamefully not well-read (often read, but not quality), but this was disturbing. It was particularly sad that she couldn't understand the comments of a farmer:

"These lawyers, and men of learning, and moneyed men, that talk so finely, and gloss over matters so smoothly, to make us poor illiterate people swallow down the pill, expect to get into Congress themselves ... and then they will swollow up all us little folks, like the great Leviathan." A. Singletary

Did he call it or what back in 1788? And to think he considered himself to be 'illiterate'.

No! This is not turning this into a political thread, just laughing at lap dancing!

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I keep my nose buried in 19th Century periodicals and notice that the writing back then is sophisticated in comparison to our times.

In my Sunday paper is a feature about a new literacy program in our public schools. The kids wont read, so english teachers present video lessons during class. American Lit includes tv re-runs like I LOVE LUCY. The kids watch the 20 minute episode, then discuss how they feel about home-making.

 

[Recidiva]

It's amazing how many things are just permanently scarred due to something like that.

CBS had a really funky font on their public information campaign "CBS Cares" for a while.

So every time I looked at it (and I still do, even though the've changed it) I think:

CB Scares!

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

DRIPHONEY

One of my ancestors was a semi-famous cleric at the beginning of the 19th Century.

John Johnson was an orphan of the American Revolution, raised in abysmal poverty, and illiterate until he was 21 years old. He and a slave taught each other to read. John borrowed a hymnal, he and his friend memorized several of the songs, and they connected the lyrics with the printed words. Voila!

He also taught himself Latin and Greek.

John then became a Methodist circuit-rider, and bought used books to read at night, on the trail, and at his frontier assignments. He blended what he read into the sermons he composed. And his sermons are interesting because theyre parables about moral philosophy, rather than Hell & Brimstone. Like, why we need to die...why death is necessary. And the writing is styled for the frontier settler alone in the wilderness.

He filled his head with the best books.

He was popular and effective, and the Methodist Church memorialized him with a biography, oil portrait, and monument.

 

[driphoney]

I missed this comment earlier today. This is very interesting, but then I like history, and it makes a great point about reading literature.

And how do you think your Methodist minister great-great-great grandpa would feel about your signature line?

DRIPHONEY

One of my ancestors was a semi-famous cleric at the beginning of the 19th Century.

John Johnson was an orphan of the American Revolution, raised in abysmal poverty, and illiterate until he was 21 years old. He and a slave taught each other to read. John borrowed a hymnal, he and his friend memorized several of the songs, and they connected the lyrics with the printed words. Voila!

He also taught himself Latin and Greek.

John then became a Methodist circuit-rider, and bought used books to read at night, on the trail, and at his frontier assignments. He blended what he read into the sermons he composed. And his sermons are interesting because theyre parables about moral philosophy, rather than Hell & Brimstone. Like, why we need to die...why death is necessary. And the writing is styled for the frontier settler alone in the wilderness.

He filled his head with the best books.

He was popular and effective, and the Methodist Church memorialized him with a biography, oil portrait, and monument.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

DRIPHONEY

I'm not much interested in what John Johnson might think about me, I care about what I think about me. I have to live with me 24/7, he doesnt.

A long life has convinced me that people get pissed off about virtually anything and everything, and I'm beyond the desire to please people and influence popular opinion. If you dont want my peaches, honey. dont shake my tree.

I'll add that John Johnsson was tried by an ecclesiastical court for buying a slave and freeing her.

 

[driphoney]

DRIPHONEY

I'm not much interested in what John Johnson might think about me, I care about what I think about me. I have to live with me 24/7, he doesnt.

A long life has convinced me that people get pissed off about virtually anything and everything, and I'm beyond the desire to please people and influence popular opinion. If you dont want my peaches, honey. dont shake my tree.

I'll add that John Johnsson was tried by an ecclesiastical court for buying a slave and freeing her.

It's a good place to be ... not caring what others think ...

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

DRIPHONEY

It works for me. The alternative is a fool's errand.